Yearbook

6 Weeks of Assignments

pre-progress report

Business Card Examples + Elem. of Design

Business Card Mock-up

Sub-Day

Photography Comp. Test

Negative Space & Examples

Finished Business Card Design

OoC Photography Assignment

Blog Safety Check

post-progress report

ON BLOG:
Photoshop an Abstract Background or App Icon

Basic Photoshopping for Photography
Blog Safety Check

TURN IN:

Rough Draft/Sketch for Page Design
Yearbook Page Approval Sheet

OoC Photography Assignment

STUDIO WORKS:

Create a Studio Works Account
Upload Photos for your Yearbook Page

Yearbook Page Check Point (Wednesday/Thursday)

Complete your Yearbook Page (Friday)

Multimedia

6 Weeks of Assignments
pre-progress report
Sub-Day
1st Illustrator Tutorial
2nd Illustrator Tutorial
Vector vs Bitmap Post
Vector vs. Bitmap Pop Quiz
Blog Safety Check

post-progress report
About File Types Blog Post
Illustrator Project 1 (post all parts of design cycle)
Illustrator Project 2 (post all parts of design cycle)
- refer to September 20th's post for parts of the design cycle
Jpg vs Svg Pop Quiz (wednesday/thursday)
Blog Safety Check
Saving as a jpg and an svg
Illustrator Reflection


Final Two Assignments:
Saving as a jpg and an svg
Show me you know how to save from illustrator as a jpg and an svg (literally show me during class!)

Illustrator Reflection

Write 4 to 5 sentences on each:

Tell me about Illustrator (in your own words, of course!)

Tell me about your capabilities and level of confidence with Illustrator

Projects:
Don't forget! You should have four things posted on your blog for each of your two illustrator projects. Those four things are the four parts of the design cycle. Don't remember them? Go Google Go!

Robotics

Current Robot Challenges

1. 2.5 Meters
2. Close Shave
3. Round About
4. Figure 8
5. Round & Round
6. Write it Out

Yearbook

Continue Working on:

• Blog: Basic Photoshopping for Photography
• Hand-in: Rough Draft for Page Design
• Upload: OoC Photography Assignment (due Nov. 4)
• Studio Works: Get an Account
• Studio Works: Completed Yearbook Page (End of Next Week) (graded based on Tech Criteria)
• Yearbook Page: Checkpoint (Next Week)
• Blog: Abstract Background or App Icon that's useful for Yearbook (make sure the size is large enough to be useful, talk to me for help if you need it)

Yearbook

As you're planing and designing your yearbook page, keep our THEME in mind. Talk to the director of design if your not sure or need help regarding the look or style. Don't forget, it will be graded based on the IB Tech Criteria. Refer to it in your notebook or on my District Web Page.

Look into the Principles and Elements of Graphic Design (link 1 - link 2) and keep them in mind when planning your page.

What Comes Next?

Current Post-Progress Report Assignments:

• Blog: Abstract Background or App Icon that's useful for Yearbook
• Blog: Basic Photoshopping for Photography
• Hand-in: Rough Draft for Page Design
• Upload: OOC Photography Assignment (due Nov. 4)
• Studio Works: Completed Yearbook Page

Multimedia

Continue working on Illustrator Projects
Keep in mind the six ways in which it will be graded (IB Tech Criteria), and the design cycle in which your project must be completed.

File Types:
So far, we haven't talked about file types much. When you finish your projects, I'd like the final images to be exported through illustrator as an .SVG and a .JPG, so far, most of you have been uploaded .PNG's to your blog. There's nothing wrong with a .PNG, but the quality isn't as high when the picture is made through a screenshot then when its exported properly. (You can't upload a .SVG to blogger, you'll just have to show me that you can do it when your at that point)

There are four file types you should know about while working through illustrator.
.AI
.JPG (or JPEG- same thing)
.PNG
.SVG
Spend a little time looking into them. How are they different from one another?

These are only a couple of file formats for images. There's a ton of them out there. Wouldn't it just be simpler if we only had one file format for images? It could be .IMG. Why do you think we have different file formats for images?

Yearbook

Make sure you've completed these things:

• Blog: Blog Safety Check (Make sure someone can't figure out your full name, where you go to school, what you look like, and/or etc)
• Blog: Business Card Examples + Elements of Design
• Hand-in: Business Card Mock-up
• Hand-in: Photography Test
• Blog: Sub-day
• Blog: What is Negative Space & Examples
• Upload: OOC Photography Assignment
• Blog: Finished Business Card (Use fake info on the card to maintain online safety)

If there's a 0 in the gradebook for it, I haven't seen it, and you need to make sure that's changed before the end of the week.




As you're planing and designing your yearbook page, keep our THEME in mind. Talk to the director of design if your not sure or need help regarding the look or style. Don't forget, it will be graded based on the IB Tech Criteria. Refer to it in your notebook or on my District Web Page.


Look into the Principles and Elements of Graphic Design (link 1 - link 2) and keep them in mind when planning your page.




What Comes Next?
Current Post-Progress Report Assignments:

• Blog: Abstract Background or App Icon that's useful for Yearbook
• Blog: Basic Photoshopping for Photography
• Hand-in: Rough Draft for Page Design
• Upload: OOC Photography Assignment
• Studio Works: Completed Yearbook Page

Multimedia

You might have a quiz over Vector vs. Raster graphics later. Hopefully you understand it well.

Illustrator Projects:
Just as you had two tutorials to follow in illustrator, I want you to try two of the below. Options:
- Booklet for Grease (Only available this week) (client: Theatre)
- Collecting and Graphing Scientific Data
- Creating an improved School Map to School
- Designing and creating a Digital Manifestation of yourself
- Vector Art for the Reflections Contest (Only available through next Oct. 31)
Two New Options
- Art of Dairy (Read the contest rules and the FAQ!)
- Abstract Vector Background (Only available through Oct. 31) (client: YearBook)

Progress Report
Make sure you have your two finished illustrator tutorials on your blog, your explanation of vector vs bitmap, sub-day work, and that you aren't giving out any personal information on your blog!

Illustrator

You guys have only just scratched the surface of illustrator. You've been using it for a while now. Are you familiar with the basic anatomy of vector graphics? Below are some more resources on Illustrator that may interest you.

Who uses Illustrator Professionally?
Adobe Illustrator for Scientists
Scientific Illustrations 101
Scientific Graphics with Adobe Illustrator
Making Graphs in Illustrator
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
The Joy of Charting
Adobe Illustrator for Urban Planning
Adobe Illustrator for Fashion Designers
Creating Info Graphics
Creating Diagrams

And of course, artists use illustrator: (click to enlarge)
These were all created using Illustrator!









images from Smashing Magazine

Yearbook

Out of Class Photography Assignment due: Friday October 14th
We'll be starting sales and individual pages soon, hopefully next week.

If you've finished everything so far, work through the following:

Open the slideshow about photography(mirror 1)(mirror2). If the first link doesn't work, try mirror1, if that doesn't work try mirror 2. Mirror 1 may not look like its working, but it actually is, it will download it, and after a minute a little icon on the bottom of your screen will bounce. Click it and a small menu will open, click photocomp.ppt. Try to avoid mirror2 if you can, its a pdf conversion and didn't convert very well. Think about how the photographer composed these photos and how are you are composing your photos when taking pictures. Reconsider what choices you are making when taking photographs and how you might be able to improve your photographs.

Basic Photoshop for photo editing- There are some basic touch ups you can learn in photoshop that can improve the contrast, coloring, etc of your photos. Learn some of the basics so you can touch up your photos. You will need some of these skills when working on your pages. Post the results on your blog.

Multimedia

If you don't have a good understanding of Vector vs Bitmap (or Raster) graphics yet, its an important concept you need to understand well. If you don't quite feel familiar with it enough, or would just like to make sure you have a good understanding of it, I've found a few links that discuss it more.

Vector vs Raster Article
About Vector Graphics & Raster Images Article
Rastor & Vector Differences Article
What are Raster and Vector Images Video @ Creative Cow
Vector vs Bitmap Video @ Video2brain

Load times and Vector vs Bitmap
As mentioned in the video by Creative Cow (and other places online), vector graphics are smaller than bitmap images as they aren't containing data for each and every single pixel. This is sort of true. It depends on the complexity of the vector image and the size at which the images are being viewed.

For example:

An SVG file of a smiley, such as this one on Wikimedia Commons, is very simple and thus is very small. When viewed at 800x800 its only 1kb. A JPG on the right (click to enlarge it to the same size) of  the same smiley at 800x800 is significantly larger at 250kb (250 times larger than the svg)!

However, watch what happens when looking at a much more complex graphic, like say... a map of the world, like this one from Wikimedia Commons. Did you see how much longer it took to load? This image is 1.38 mb. Compare that to the jpg of the same size on the left (click to enlarge it to the same size). Its only 266 kb, or 0.266 mb if we want to use the same units. So with this more complex image, the jpg is 1/5th the size as the svg.

Of course, considering vectors are never pixelated, the svg will print nicer... but if your not printing it then you don't need something that can be enlarged to large amounts. Creating a jpg of the map to be printed at a decent size would certainly be larger than the svg, and will be increasingly larger than the svg as the map becomes larger, as it is having to record data for each and every pixel.

SOOOO... What should you do today?
If you haven't finished your second illustrator tutorial yet, keep working on that. If you've already completed that, then I'd like you to do a little exploring online regarding what illustrator can do. When you find something that looks interesting, inspiring, or like something you can do, try taking some of the skills you've learned so far and try creating something in illustrator. What you create is your choosing as long as its school appropriate. If you have to ask if its appropriate, theres a good chance it isn't... not that you can't ask.

Additional Illustrator Tutorials:

- Creative Lettering

- An Easy 3d Vase

- How to Make a Map

- Glossy Smooth Text Effect

- Create a Landscape Scene

- Simple Silhouettes in Illustrator
- Shiny Transparent 3d Graph

Robotics Today

Sorry guys. After I saw you guys Thursday, Dr. B had some things she wanted me to take care of today.

Whenever I'm not here, you receive a quiz grade. This grade is based on what evidence you provide on your blog for what you were able to accomplish. I'm only grading what you show me. If you have nothing to show me, then your grade will reflect that. I wont be asking later on what you got accomplished, it needs to be uploaded at the end of class. If blogger won't upload part of your work, take a screenshot of your work and leave it on your desktop and I can check your computer when I get back on Tuesday morning.

Keep your teacher happy today. Any reports of problematic students results in a detention. THIS is your warning.

If you check the board, people should be presenting soon, today actually. I'm not here, so we'll push them all back a day (if you'd rather have your's the day you chose and not pushed back a day, that's fine, just let me know next time you see me). If you should be presenting today, make sure you're ready next class.


What to work on:

1) Honda's Power of Dreams

Watch the Honda Power of Dreams video about Robotics.

2) BBC Ready for the Robot Revolution

Check out the BBC Article.

3) New Laws of Robotics

Read over the article here.

4) Response

Think about what you saw and read for a few minutes. Think about what you already knew about robots, and how does this add to and/or alter your views and understanding. On your blog, write me a response and reflection to what you gained from these media sources on your blog. 

5) Lego NXT

Start learning a bit more about what you're working with.

The website Ortop.org has some useful resources, including an Editor Introduction video which goes over some of the components we'll be using to build robots.

Watch the Editor Introduction video. This will make the next few steps when programming your robot easier. There's also a few videos on there that are pretty similar to your first task that you could check out if you want.

6) Independent Presentations

If you have remaining time, use it to work on your independent presentations that are coming up.

Yearbook Today

As you've probably noticed, I'm not here today. As I mentioned last class, whenever I'm not here, you receive a quiz grade. This grade is based on what evidence you provide on your blog for what you were able to accomplish. I'm only grading what you show me. If you have nothing to show me, then your grade will reflect that. I wont be asking later on what you got accomplished, it needs to be uploaded at the end of class. If blogger won't upload part of your work, take a screenshot of your work and leave it on your desktop and I can check your computer when I get back on Tuesday morning.

Keep your teacher happy today. Any reports of problematic students results in a detention. THIS is your warning.

What to work on:

1) Test of Photography Composition

You may not use computers for this. If you’ve logged in, log out and wait til the test’s completion to begin working on the computer.

2) Photography Compositions and Negative Space
Check out these links and tell me about Negative Space
Negative Space
Negative Space/Open Space
Using Negative Space
Understanding Negative Space

Find 5 strong examples of Negative Space online (do NOT use any examples in the links above).


3) You should have your mock-ups back (they are on the big brown desk, be nice to them, we want them back!) with notes from the editors. Begin creating your business card design on photoshop. Make up a pretend name for the school and for yourself. This will allow you to post up your design, and still protect your identity. If you don't finish, post up what you've done so far.

The start of this tutorial will give you the specifications for the document size for your business card.


4) Continuing Photoshop
Choice:
- Try creating an app icon
 Use google to search for a useful tutorial. Using keywords like iphone app icon photoshop and tutorial will help. We'll be using icons in the book, so, it's something you definitely need to be able to make.

-Try creating an abstract background for the book
 Use google to search for a useful tutorial. Using keywords like abstract background photoshop and tutorial will help. Smart phones and iDevices use a lot of abstract backgrounds, so our book will at least have a few few. Start trying to design some. The editors are hoping to find one that may work as a background on the cover.

Yearbook

The previous six weeks is behind us. A new six weeks is already here (and has been for one class already).

First thing for this six weeks

Make your blog safe. As I've been viewing over your blogs, some of them have some things to address. We'll need to go over some internet safety guidelines. So, the first thing is remove any personal information that may not be safe to include your blog. If you your poster mentioned our school, remove it to protect your information. In addition, make sure you don't have your full name anywhere, your picture, where you live, the name of your school, etc.

This is for a grade!

Major assignments this three weeks:

• Test over Photography Concepts
• OoC Photography w/ Names & Quotes
• Business Card Design

Business Card Design

We need to start communicating with groups, people, and places- both for coverage and sales. So, we're going to design a business card. 

First, look into graphic design. It is, essentially, the way that we design visual graphic publications. Whether ads, spreads, business cards, whatever. Look into it more on About.com or from Tuscaloosa City Schools. On your blog, list the elements of graphic design and tell me about the individually.

On Your Blog- Some business cards are really cool, and some are really boring. Look into business cards, see what you think works and looks good. Post some examples on your blog. Next, come up with a few sketches of designs for business cards that could work well with our theme. Post your sketches on your blog too.

If you're ready, you can start working on your designs in photoshop.

Multimedia

First thing for this six weeks

Make your blog safe. As I've been viewing over your blogs, some of them have some things to address. We'll need to go over some internet safety guidelines. So, the first thing is remove any personal information that may not be safe to include your blog. If you had your poster uploaded, I've taken a screenshot of it, and you may now remove it from your blog. In addition, make sure you don't have your full name anywhere, your picture, where you live, the name of your school, etc.

This is for a grade!

New Poster

We had a lot of posters for Grease, which was great. However, we had very few for Choir's Classical Concert. They'd like a couple more designs, so for your first project this six weeks- spend a class period or two designing a poster for choir (if you already did, design a second).

I have a physical example of a poster form a couple years ago. There are also some interesting designs you can find online. examples: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Illustrator

Continue learning Illustrator. Most people will need to go through quite a few learner videos and tutorials to get the hang of it.

Why Illustrator? Vector vs. Bitmap graphics

At the end of class, reflect on what you learned/tried in illustrator today. Even if it was abysmal, let me know. So, open up Adobe Illustrator and give it a try!

Adobe TV's Learn Illustrator CS4

Lynda.com

- Getting Started

- Essential Training

- One-on-One Fundamentals

- One-on-One Mastery

- Coloring Artwork

- Beyond the Basics

Some videos on Lynda.com are free, and some require membership. You can still learn a lot from the free videos alone. Some tutorial sets have more available to non-members than others.

Don't like videos?

Check out the 30 Days Illustrator Training Course

These links may also come in handy in the future when your trying to get something to work that just isn't. Don't forget they're here.